Forest Fire
by MircThomas19
Summary: When Natsu was taking his anger of his weakness on a tree, he found his little brother in an egg but there was something else. The tree had not rejected but accepted Natsu's anger and granted another gift. Something that was never seen, even among the great dragons of old. See that Natsu will ever be weak again! Pairing Undecided as of yet!
1. Where Two Gifts Are Given Over Anger

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

"Natsu!" – Speaking

'Natsu!' – Thoughts

 _Natsu!_ – Flashback

 **Natsu!** – Spells/Magic/Techniques

Forest Fire

Where Two Gifts Are Given Over Anger

It is the year X778,

"Stupid Erza!" In the East Forest, named by its location in relevance to Magnolia that is the capital city of the continent Fiore, there was someone not happy. "And Gray!" Not happy at all. "You stink!"

This boy was around ten years old with salmon mink hair that is clearly not combed down. He is wearing a scarf with realistic looking scales in a pattern. The clothes he is wearing consists of a simple red shirt, yellow and brown pants that are held up by a yellow cloth for a belt, and a pair of brown shoes. It all makes him look like a typical boy that happened to be an orphan; his name is Natsu Dragneel.

"HAA!" And it looks like Natsu had been punching a tree on its middle section, with crudely drawn pictures roped to the bark. It was like Natsu had created his own version of a makeshift punching bag. But it was only damaging his fists. And when Natsu decided to really let lose some anger with a slightly stronger punch that managed to shake the tree and scare off some birds.

"That…didn't hurt…at all!" Natsu learned that he wasn't getting anywhere and only getting himself hurt when his right hand started to really sting. But that was more than a swoon hand, it made Natsu scream. "M-my hand! My wrist! It is broken!"

Natsu saw that the extra-strong 'punch' had actually twisted his fingers and broke the bones in his wrist while dislocating a few of the muscle fibers in the process. And while he screamed, Natsu didn't fall and cry about it; he learned that nothing gets done by crying, not even getting help from his 'friends'. They just hurt him more or just laugh at him.

And in that mix of pain and anger, Natsu hallucinated the pictures that he made were indeed laughing at his pain. This caused Natsu to ignore the injury to his right hand and went back to punching senselessly with his only good hand. But while this will only get the remaining good hand injured as well, something else happened.

"HAA!" Natsu poured all his strength into his left arm and actually punched so far that his hand landed inside the tree! "Oh no!" Natsu finally panicked; he was now hurt and stuck in the tree bark. "OWW! EEH!" Natsu almost forgot about his hurt right hand when he tried to tug his left arm out.

Immediately giving up on that, Natsu just placed his legs on the roots at the base to try and wedge his arm loose. So much that he looked away and closed his eyes and pulled with all his might. This was when the hole in the tree started to glow green but Natsu failed to notice.

"Let go! Let go! LET GO!" Natsu screamed and tugged and screamed and tugged again until he felt released, causing him to meet the dirt he was walking on. But Natsu ignored the rocks and dust on his face when something fell on his back just when he tried to get up. "What the heck?"

Looking up the best he could, Natsu lost all his anger and forgot about his panic to see an egg almost bigger than he is that was safely on his back. Softly, slowly and gently, Natsu twisted his body so that the egg landed on the ground without any possibility of damage so that the boy can get a better look at it.

The egg was incredible and nothing like the ones that Natsu buys with the pocket change from time to time. The design wasn't simple all-white. It had a blue, claw-like pattern on it that seemed to be like some kind of big creature. Regardless, Natsu was in awe at the sight. "Cool!" But when Natsu went to pick it up, the egg was lighter than it looked, there was this about him that scared the poor boy again.

"What the!? My hand!?" Indeed, Natsu's right hand was somehow fixed; the fingers were no longer crooked and the wrist retained its flexibility and stability. It was like Natsu never broke it in the trees back in the first place. And speaking of which, *CRACK! THUD!* Natsu cringed to hear a familiar sound. That was the one that he heard when something fell and broke; and Natsu was always scolded and punished when he heard that. "Oh no! Now what did I do!?" And poor Natsu has heard that sound a lot thus he both hated it feared for all the times he was humiliated and beaten.

Natsu then waited a good ten minutes, nothing happened. Opening one eye to see that there were still no one around but him and the egg. Letting loose a breath of relief, Natsu decided to see what had been broken; the tree he was punching had fallen down in his direction. But there was something about where it fell off that got Natsu's attention.

"A hole?" Yes, there was a hole that was right where the base of the tree used to be. And it wasn't an empty hole either. There was something that rested perfectly in the hole, like it was placed there on purpose. "A scroll. Like the books that Erza forces me to read!" Natsu once again received bad memories and found himself looking around to see this 'Erza' was about to 'force him to read' the scroll. When still, there was no one else around, Natsu looked a lot less pale.

"Oh well. I guess that I will read it and prove to Erza that I don't need to learn how without a sword to the neck!" Natsu proves to be excited about even the strangest and most awkward of things. And when Natsu finally found the cover that was loose on one of the ends to the scroll, he opened the paper within only to get a confused look. "What is the heck is all this? I know these strange…things that Erza called 'letters' but these looked all messed up."

Natsu then took a couple of fingers on his right hand to try and move the letters like in a jigsaw puzzle. To his surprise and awe, the letters moved just like that. Without damaging the paper! "There!" After some fun in 'fixing' the letters, Natsu had finally been able to read them. "Let's see."

It was like a journal article, done by a man that seemed to have a long name that Natsu found himself unable to read, only that the last name was something like 'Senju'. The rest he could read and it told a tale about a village long ago that he once protected and ruled with a power that made him invincible. That last part had gotten Natsu's attention as he dreamed of beating some kind of boy with black hair and a redheaded girl that wore armor.

Reading more, Natsu found a list that went like so;

 **Mokuton: Mokujin no Jutsu (Wood Style: Wood Golem Jutsu)**

 **Moku Bunshin no Jutsu (Wood Clone Technique)**

 **Mokuton: Mokuryū no Jutsu (Wood Release: Wood Dragon Technique)**

 **Mokuton: Sashiki no Jutsu (Wood Release: Cutting Technique)**

 **Chōjō Kebutsu (Summit Enlightenment)**

 **Mokuton: Hotei no Jutsu (Wood Release: Laughing Buddha Technique)**

 **Mokuton: Kajukai Kōrin (Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom)**

 **Mokuton: Jukai Kōtan (Wood Release: Deep Forest Emergence)**

 **Mokuton: Hōbi no Jutsu (Wood Release: Wood Expulsion Jutsu)**

And each one of these had very detailed instructions on how to use them. But it wasn't enough for Natsu. "How am I supposed to use this scroll…WHEN ALL I CAN DO IS CREATE FIRE AND WRECK STUFF!?" Natsu then raised his arm and struck the earth in a temper tantrum that surprisingly caused a crater in the earth and sent a shock wave into all directions. Natsu noticed this just in time to see it caused the egg he found to be sent into the air, only to fall fast to the ground! "NO!"

Natsu then saw to his shock that his hand suddenly grew a complete trees amount of wood that formed an extended arm and oversized hand that caught the egg expertly! Now Natsu was speechless and just slowly retract his wooden arm to put the egg back on the ground. "Just what happened to me?" After what felt like forever, Natsu finally spoke and decided to read more of the scroll.

"…whoa." By the sound of that, Natsu is going to be busy for the next while. But not he will know when to come back to the guild.

XXXXX

A couple of months had passed and Natsu still hadn't returned to the guild hall that was rustic in design with a sigh in big letters that said 'FAIRY TAIL'.

"Where is that idiot!?"

"Shut up Gray! We heard that already. A thousand times!"

"Yeah!? And what of it Erza?" Gray was a boy whose most prominent feature is his spiky black-colored hair. He has dark blue eyes, and his body is toned and muscular. And he happens to be almost nude! That got him hit by an 'Erza'.

Erza is a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. She lost her right eye as a child and now has an artificial one. She was wearing mostly armor over her shirts. "We are tired of it!"

"Don't tell me that you are not angry that the idiot is trying to avoid you!? He always gets you angry and now he is hiding like a coward!" Gray shouted in childish defiance that died when Erza was suddenly covered in a demonic aura.

"Like you are no better than a coward and that you don't get me angry too. And he doesn't accuse others of lying when they share their life story so how are you better than that!?" Erza shouted and Gray couldn't speak before fainting.

"Maybe we did hurt his feelings." One of the unnamed guild members brought up and silence followed almost instantly. "I mean, we did call him a liar when he had no family or friends or any home to live in. We even had the nerve to laugh at him, especially when he is beaten for any reason."

No one said another word and then sniffles and tears were the first to be heard and seen respectably. It was like the cheeriness of the guild died without Natsu around to keep the flame going. "I never thought that we made Natsu feel unwelcome. I just wanted to make him a smart boy and tough enough to take anything. I thought that I was helping him."

No one could say a word and only watch Erza talk to herself like this until she went to sitting in the middle of the guild hall, whispering so low that it will take a rabbit to hear her now. Maybe this proves that Fairy Tail will learn not to laugh at anyone's misery and sadness.

XXXXX

It is now the year X780,

Two years had passed since the Fairy Tail Guild realized what they done, they waited. And waited for Natsu to come back so they can start treating him in the right way that they meant to do for the entire first year that Natsu had been part of the guild. "I can't believe it. Have we really treated Natsu that bad? That even after two years, he didn't want to come back?"

"I'm sorry Lisanna but we still haven't found the brat." An old man, sitting on the bar counter, said with a sad tone. Lisanna is shown as a young petite girl with short, white hair and blue eyes. Lisanna is wearing a simple, pink dress paired with dark red shoes.

"It's okay Master Makarov." Makarov is an extremely short, elderly man. He has black eyes and is growing bald with only the outer rims of his head containing white hair. He also has a thick white mustache. He has a black stamp of the Fairy Tail guild mark that covers his entire chest area. He is shown dressing in a casual manner, with an attire consisting of a white shirt with a black Fairy Tail stamp in the middle under an orange hoodie. His attire was completed with matching orange shorts and an orange and blue striped jester hat.

"How it is okay if my little sister is falling behind in her training!?" Both Lisanna and Makarov flinched at the volume of a woman's voice that just happened to not be Erza this time. It was Lisanna's older sister, Mirajane. Mirajane is a slim young woman of below average height. She has long, white hair which curls slightly at the ends, with two bangs framing her face and reaching down to her chest; her hairstyle's most distinctive trait is a short, upward ponytail obtained by gathering and tying the hair covering her forehead.

Mirajane is wearing a gothic-looking, overly revealing outfit matching the tomboyish personality she had at the time. She donned a dark, skimpy sleeveless shirt adorned with some light curved motifs on the chest, a pair of leather shorts held up by a studded belt with a demonic-looking buckle and thigh-high boots with stiletto heels, each bearing a skull adorned by a flower on their upper front parts. She also sported a bracelet shaped like a demonic arm around her right wrist, a ring on the same hand's middle finger, and dark nail polish. She didn't have her front ponytail, instead letting a large strand cover her forehead freely, and had most of her hair tied in a high, larger ponytail on the back of her head by a massive dark ribbon.

"Oh let it go witch girl. You had been at this for two years too long." Erza had a rivalry of her own since Mirajane does match her in a lot of factors; strength, magical power and scariness when in a foul mood. Everyone could see that Natsu doesn't take any example for them since they have a hypocritical habit of scolding Natsu for his 'rivalry fights' proving him immature.

"You want a piece of me tin can!?" Mirajane shouted, setting off yet another brawl that reminded a certain raven haired stripper of how he always bullied and aggressed Natsu into fighting with him, just the two girls going at it.

But it wasn't exhaustion or a frustrated guild master that stopped the brawl. It was the sound of the two double doors of the guild hall opening. And that always met visitors, guild members or not, guest or not. But this visitor was not just any guild member and he was certainly not just a guest. "Hey guys. Guess who is back." It was Natsu Dragneel, in the flesh!

Everyone was shocked to this new and improved Natsu in all his badass glory. Over his semi-naked chest silver jacket that somehow went with his scarf perfectly. The shorts he was wearing had a black belt keeping it together and came with some kind of needles and daggers. The gloves on his hands seemed to be made with steel knuckling. His boots were replaced with black ones that looked like there is some kind of razor blades at the heel. And on his back were a pair of large and curved blades.

Then there was the biggest change. A little blue cat was sleeping on Natsu's shoulder, using his tail to hold onto his spot. As fi the cute site of a baby cat sleeping without a care in the world wasn't cute enough, the silent snoring and occasional wipe of the face had nearly sent the girls into screaming 'cute'.

And, in all this shock, "You flame head idiot! You can't just be gone for two years! Not while trying to avoid this!" Gray had received anger that he hadn't felt in all the time that Natsu had been away. "Ice Make: Lance!"

"GRAY!" The guild cried out but Natsu wasn't afraid and merely went for one of his curved swords. With a simple swipe, Natsu had sliced and evaporated the ice lances! But Gray was too angry to be halted in his track and followed blind instincts to switch from magic to brute force. All in a while that Natsu had placed that same sword on his back again.

"Gray, I don't have time for this." Natsu sighed for the umpteenth time but the poor raven-haired boy just won't listen to reason. Natsu found significantly hard to dodge Gray's punches without harming to the least waking up his cat companion. "I. Said. I. Have. No. Time…" Natsu dragged out each word until Gray was about to hit Natsu in the face. "FOR THIS!"

Gray groaned loudly in pain as he felt a giant hand hold him place. "Okay gramps, I get now let me go!" But when Natsu forced Gray to look back somehow, the latter saw that the guild master hadn't even moved a muscle, the least on of his hands with his **Titan Magic**. Then Natsu did the same but forced Gray to look down on the floor of the guild hall. "What the!?"

"I said that I don't have time with small fry. You don't want to make me angry Gray. I always go all out when I am angry. So you won't like it when I am angry." Natsu said, leaving Gray stuck there; stuck in the wooden grip that Natsu had constructed from the floor!

End of Chapter 1.

 ***I got this idea from DestinyArmor's 'Bloodline Limit' story that is actually mostly based off Fairy Tail, despite it having an element that is purely from the Naruto Manga. But instead of just having Natsu's control over forests, trees and all made of wood, I thought to make this similar to his main form of magic.**

 **I felt to make this power more compatible with Natsu as a Dragon Slayer that was granted a second Dragon Slayer Magic. This idea was about how in the Naruto Manga, the Wood Release bloodline is a very dangerous power; it can easily consume the user that gained it through artificial means and it has happened before.**

 **This will similar to the Great Tree Arc magic that Azuma uses but the difference is that Natsu's magic over wood won't turn him into a tree if misused and that Natsu can't use expositive impacts like Azuma can. Instead, Natsu can use his trees, branches and wood constructs like those in Naruto to drain other mages of this magical power. When he does this, Natsu can also tap into this drained energy to replenish his own or send it back as pure magic impacts strong enough to crack earth faces easily and take out a medium sized army in one go.**

 **This is how I am going to describe Natsu's Forest Dragon Slayer magic and in later chapters, I will show how Natsu is going to use both his dragon slayer magic together and at once. Stay tuned and enjoy!***

 ***On a side note, i thought hard on the new title for this story and i hope that it will stick better than the first. hope to not do this again. Enjoy it still!***

 **Natsu's Abilities and Magic so far:**

 **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Forest Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Letter Magic**

 **Equip Magic**

 **Dispel Magic**

 **Water Magic**

 **Earth Magic**

 **Hand-to-Hand Combat Master**

 **Melee and Short Range Weapon Expert**

 **Massive Magic Reserves**

 **Accelerated Self-Regeneration**


	2. Enter Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

"Natsu!" – Speaking

'Natsu!' – Thoughts

 _Natsu!_ – Flashback

 **Natsu!** – Spells/Magic/Techniques

Forest Fire

Natsu Dragneel, the Tree Salamander

 _Previously on Forest Fire;_

" _Hey guys. Guess who is back." It was Natsu Dragneel, in the flesh!_

 _Everyone was shocked to this new and improved Natsu in all his badass glory. Over his semi-naked chest silver jacket that somehow went with his scarf perfectly. The shorts he was wearing had a black belt keeping it together and came with some kind of needles and daggers. The gloves on his hands seemed to be made with steel knuckling. His boots were replaced with black ones that looked like there is some kind of razor blades at the heel. And on his back were a pair of large and curved blades._

 _Then there was the biggest change. A little blue cat was sleeping on Natsu's shoulder, using his tail to hold onto his spot. As fi the cute site of a baby cat sleeping without a care in the world wasn't cute enough, the silent snoring and occasional wipe of the face had nearly sent the girls into screaming 'cute'._

 _And, in all this shock, "You flame head idiot! You can't just be gone for two years! Not while trying to avoid this!" Gray had received anger that he hadn't felt in all the time that Natsu had been away. "Ice Make: Lance!"_

 _"GRAY!" The guild cried out but Natsu wasn't afraid and merely went for one of his curved swords. With a simple swipe, Natsu had sliced and evaporated the ice lances! But Gray was too angry to be halted in his track and followed blind instincts to switch from magic to brute force. All in a while that Natsu had placed that same sword on his back again._

 _"Gray, I don't have time for this." Natsu sighed for the umpteenth time but the poor raven-haired boy just won't listen to reason. Natsu found significantly hard to dodge Gray's punches without harming to the least waking up his cat companion. "I. Said. I. Have. No. Time…" Natsu dragged out each word until Gray was about to hit Natsu in the face. "FOR THIS!"_

 _Gray groaned loudly in pain as he felt a giant hand hold him place. "Okay gramps, I get now let me go!" But when Natsu forced Gray to look back somehow, the latter saw that the guild master hadn't even moved a muscle, the least on of his hands with his Titan Magic. Then Natsu did the same but forced Gray to look down on the floor of the guild hall. "What the!?"_

 _"I said that I don't have time with small fry. You don't want to make me angry Gray. I always go all out when I am angry. So you won't like it when I am angry." Natsu said, leaving Gray stuck there; stuck in the wooden grip that Natsu had constructed from the floor!_

"Finally!" Everyone were in for a weird sight on this nice morning. "Now we will really find Igneel!" It was a small blue cat with a white stomach. He has a rectangular head, with pink ears, big black eyes with small, thin eyebrows, and light blue cheek marks near to his tiny whiskers (two on each side of his face). It also has a triangular nose that leads to semi-round upper lips on the sides. His body is rectangular too. He has a long, white-tipped tail; and the other parts of his tail are blue. And he seems to be carrying around a green backpack that covered his entire back.

"Happy, we went over this a hundred times already." The cat, named Happy for some reason, turned to his companion. "We are not here for Igneel. We are here for rumors about the Salamander of Fairy Tail doing some dirty magic business, in our guild's name! We are here to put a stop to it."

"Right Natsu, right." Happy said, deflating like a tire out of air. "Then how are we going to find the Salamander in this big harbor?"

"I think that we don't need to look hard. Check it out." Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail looked a lot more mature than when he first showed the guild his new best friend and his new power over wood. And that was four years ago since the current year is X784.

Now Natsu is wearing basically the same jacket, gloves, boots and the pockets on his belt but all been modified for his new age. His scarf is still fitting his neck and his pink hair hasn't been tamed completely. Finally, the twin blades on his back looked like they were upgraded for this man of a boy now.

And as for what this new and improved again version of Natsu was pointing at, it was a crowd of women around Natsu's age; and they were all screaming the name Salamander. Happy was about to go and ask if he was Igneel but Natsu held his best buddy back. "My senses are tingling Happy. The women in the crowd are under some kind of spell. Let's wait until this Salamander shows himself out of the crowds."

Happy nodded and sooner or later, the object of the crowd lifted off the ground in some kind of purple fire. The crowd was left in awe and with hearts in their eyes. But Natsu's eyes were on what this person claiming to be Salamander looks like.

This man is a relatively tall and slim one with mildly short, spiky hair jutting outwards, with a long fringe left hanging over the upper left part of his face. He possesses a mildly rectangular face with sharp features, dark eyes and thin, dark eyebrows. His most distinctive facial feature is most likely the dark tattoo covering the right part of his forehead, just above his right eyebrow, this being highly reminiscent of a thin, stylized pair of tongs placed horizontally, with the "handles" pointing towards his right

He was wearing ornate clothing, with the most visible piece being a dark, high-collared cape almost reaching down to his knees, possessing a lighter inner part and light edges adorned by a pattern consisting of many rhombs, or possibly many "X"s, lined up one after the other. Such cape is closed some centimeters below his neck by a small fastener adorned by a stylized flame with a light ribbon hanging from it, and has large motifs adorning its sides, starting from the shoulders and going down several inches; each motif is shaped like a large, light and hollow circle from whose outer side many arrows jut outwards in every direction, and which has several wavy lines protruding towards its hollow center. Below such cape, he wears a simple, light short-sleeved shirt with outlined edges, paired with light pinstriped pants with visible hems, held up by a simple belt covered in elongated spots and largely hidden by his shirt, and polished dark shoes, with lighter soles and a light upper part going down from the ankle's front. He also sports three large metal bracelets around his right wrist and forearm.

 **"** **Chamu Maho (Charm Magic)."** Natsu said in a brief moment of silence. "That guy is already scum in my book. Let's get this girls out of it." Happy nodded and once the duo managed to snap the women out of the effects of the Charm that was placed on them. And the last woman they did actually stuck around to thank them, unlike the other girls that just gave him a huff or a slap to the face.

"I'm Lucy!" Lucy has brown eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair that is usually tied by ribbons in a variety of colors in a small ponytail to the right side of her head with the rest of the hair loose. She is buxom and has a curvaceous body.

"Natsu Dragneel." Natsu said, shaking her hand. "And this is Happy, the blue cat." Lucy was a little surprised to see a cat actually behaving more like a human and can actually talk. Then Lucy said that since Natsu had gotten her out of a rather stupid and embarrassing situation, she wanted to thank them by taking the duo out for lunch.

Natsu politely tried to deny, saying that the girl shouldn't burden herself with a pair of strangers. But Lucy had this persistent character of hers and the duo eventually gave into it. And thankfully, Lucy didn't have to pay for much when Natsu only ordered a single meal off the menu while Happy wanted only fish; typical of cats.

"So Lucy, are you a mage?" Natsu said and the girl stiffed but nodded. "I noticed your keychain. And those are no ordinarily keys I understand. They are Golden Zodiac Keys and Silver Constellation Keys."

"Well, yes they are. But how…?" Lucy was shocked that a stranger will know about her magic. Natsu just raised his hand as he was still chewing his food. Finally, he swallowed and answered.

"I know because whenever I come across a type of Holder Magic, I will love to learn all I can about them. But since I know enough magic for a single man, I am afraid that the keys I gained as spoils of war are going to waste. Not anymore." Natsu said and then focused some magic into his hand. And out of nowhere came a separate key chain with Golden Zodiac and Silver Constellation Keys of its own.

"I love it when Natsu does that!" Happy said and Natsu himself nodded.

"Me too Happy. Now take a good look Lucy." Natsu said while the blonde girl drooled at the sight of the keys and nearly went to grab them. "Not so fast. I earned these keys so I get to decide if I should give them away to you."

"But I thought you said that you can't use them! And why did you collect the keys anyways? Where did they come from!?" Lucy went off like an eager student at class until a customer at the diner they were eating at hushed her.

"I collect them to start a collection that I will one day meet a Celestial Spirit Mage that I can count on using them right. After running into a couple of terrible ones, you can imagine the heavy burden on my heart for these keys." Natsu said and Lucy gazed in deeply. "All these two ever did were abuse their spirits and use them for sadist acts. I delivered justice to them both personally for the Golden Keys and the silver ones were prizes from missions I do at my guild."

"So what do I have to do to earn them? I promise that I will treat them fairly!" Lucy covered her mouth when she nearly yelled in her excitement. Natsu's glaze helped silenced her.

"If what you say is true, both this and that you want to join Fairy Tail…" Natsu begun and Lucy nearly died in the suspense. "Then you are one lucky girl. Once you do join Fairy Tail then you do have a chance to earn these keys. That I promise you since I know that you are an honest girl."

"Thank you Natsu. Now I must be going to get into Fairy Tail." Lucy then got up from the table, leaving a few Jewels (currency used in Fiore) on the table for the check. The duo waved her goodbye and good luck.

XXXXX

And luck was what Lucy needed to get out of this mess. She had met with the same man that claimed to be Salamander of Fairy Tail, and he promised to get her into the guild if she will go with him to his yacht. Once on the yacht, she was dressed in a royal dress and was offered a drink that she casted aside at the last minute. She then accused 'Salamander' of lying to her and was only interested in making her one of his slaves.

And in anger, Salamander took her Celestial Spirit keys and threw them out of the boat without a second thought. He then ordered his henchmen to bound Lucy while he will painfully brand her as one of his new slaves. 'Natsu! Thank you for the last bit of kindness I ever knew before I become a slave for all my life!' Lucy could think to herself and brace for the burning pain.

But that never came and instead, "What the hell! What is this crap! Let go!" She heard Salamander yell so she opened her eyes to see what was going on and saw a wooden hand holding the branding iron in a firm grip. So strong that Salamander couldn't budge it.

And when Lucy gasped at the sight, she was freed when the wood from the yacht had come to life and attacked Salamander's henchmen. As they struggled, the wooden roots had grasped their necks, wrists and ankles; and turned into wooden cuffs that were as strong as iron.

"What is going on!? Who will dare?!" Salamander was outraged to see his lackeys being handled like helpless children.

"I will dare." Salamander flinched while Lucy was relieved to hear such a familiar voice emerge. And from the ceiling that made way for Natsu like a crowd to their king. "After all, the council has been after you. And you made the mistake of targeting Lucy, she is my friend and you will pay for what you have done, Bora of Prominence."

Lucy gasped as Natsu made it clear that this man was an imposter of the name 'Salamander' and was a criminal instead. She had heard about Bora formerly being the guild member of Titan Nose until he was kicked out for misuse of Charm Magic and his attempts to start his own slave trade.

"S-so what? Just because you are a freak that can use wood doesn't mean you can turn me in! Everyone knows that wood is nothing to fire! And I can use fire, I am the Salamander!" Bora yelled out and engulfed Natsu and his treetop in his purple flames.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried out until she felt like someone was wrapping a rope around her waist, taking her out of the yacht via an open window.

"Sorry I am late Lucy, it took a while to find them in the harbor." Lucy looked up, and to her shock, she saw Happy with white angel wings and was actually flying with his tail carrying her!

"You can fly!?"

"Like a bird but I am still a cat." Happy answered. "Now watch as Natsu proves who the real Salamander is." Happy said and when Lucy was about to comment on how Natsu was 'burning on the spot',

"That's right, Happy. Man, this tastes awful." Both Bora and Lucy were shocked to see that Natsu was not dying from the fire or even the shear heat of it. "And you called yourself a Fire Mage." They both then heard munching sounds and saw that Natsu was actually 'eating' the flames! "Ah, it filled me up anyways so thanks for the snack."

"W-what kind of a freak are you!?" Bora shouted and then heard a snapping sound. He had forgot about his branding iron being grasped by a wooden hand, made from the deck of his own yacht.

"I am a Fire Dragon Slayer as well as a Forest Dragon Slayer." Natsu said calmly as he approached the scared Bora who feel to his bottom in fear. "You were just using my old moniker until I got this more recent one. You might have heard of it, 'Forest Fire' Natsu." Once again, both Bora and Lucy gasped.

Yes, they have heard the 'Forest Fire' of Fairy Tail. An S-class mage from the guild that was, figuratively speaking, 'on fire' with the rank and always brought the 'heat' to his prey. But as Forest Fire, he once took out an entire dark guild by first trapping them into an instant forest that grew within their own guild hall, with every member inside. All Natsu had to do next was to set it all ablaze and every dark mage perished within minutes.

"And to prove it…" Natsu then took off his jacket, holding in his left hand for Bora and Lucy to see a symbol of a fairy with a visible tail. "I have the guild mark of Fairy Tail and I never, ever seen someone like you as a member."

Now while Bora was trapped in his own yacht with Natsu, Lucy was given back her keys from Happy. And with them in hand, she felt like she couldn't let Natsu have all the fun with Bora. **"Open the Gate of the Water Bearer! Aquarius!"** Out of the key and into the harbor was a blue energy that became the Zodiac Spirit, Aquarius.

Aquarius resembles a royal blue mermaid. She has a long, blue fish-tail, light blue hair that reaches up to her waist, and a large bust. She has blue eyes that seem to have no pupils. Aquarius wears a revealing dark blue bikini top and on each arm, she has a golden armlet and bracelet. Aquarius also has a headband, three piercings on her tail, and a golden belt at her waist and light blue crystal earrings. A dark blue tattoo resembling the Aquarius zodiac symbol rests right under her collarbone. Aquarius also wields an urn that acts as the basis of the Water Magic she employs in battle. This design reflects her respective zodiac sign; "Aquarius" is often depicted as a merman or mermaid carrying a vessel from which a pouring stream of water emerges.

"Kaa!" Aquarius may have been beautiful but her personality sure wasn't pretty. "How dare you summon me now! I was on a date with my boyfriend! Something that you don't have yet!"

"Never mind that, that yacht is owned by a man who threw away your key like yesterday's trash! Are you going to let him get away with that!?" Lucy shouted and hoped that will divert Aquarius's aggressiveness to Bora.

"If he did then how dare you lose my key! Kaa! I will show you both!" Aquarius was still angry with Lucy and summoned her water that destroyed the boat for sure but also hit Lucy and Happy and then the harbor itself! When Aquarius was done, Lucy, Happy and Natsu were out of sight unlike Bora who was unconscious on the untouched part of the harbor. "Bah! Never summon me when I am on a date again! And don't you dare lose my key again too!"

When Aquarius sent herself back to where she came from, Lucy found herself soaked and on a treetop that came just in time to break her fall. But not from Natsu's glance of disappointment that showed he was not amused by this at all. "Well? What do you have to say for yourself Lucy?"

"I am sorry!" Lucy shouted while bowing on her treetop while Natsu stared her down with a fixed glance. "Aquarius is always like this!" Waiting for any kind of response, she didn't hear a single one.

"Ratting out one of your Celestial Spirits is nothing that any mage using your magic will do. I am disappointed Lucy." Natsu said in a stern tone that Happy copied but still didn't say a word. "Since you are still a rookie with no power to clean and fix the port, it is on me for today and today only. If you are going to be a mage in Fairy Tail, then you will have to learn under what you can do best and what you can do at all."

"Thanks but why you?" Lucy asked, "I don't mean to be rude but please don't make me a burden on your shoulders…"

"I am covering your mess and I am taking you to the guild. Thus, you are entirely my responsibility. And I am going to see that you will be the mage you want to be, if it is the last thing I do. So get comfortable with it." Natsu said before lowering Lucy down to the part of the harbor that wasn't destroyed. "Now watch and learn."

Natsu then took out a dagger from his belt and sliced at the entire area of destroyed rubble, making a prefect square of area. He then dumped them all into the water before a loose rock came out of the ocean, in the palm of a giant wooden hand. Natsu used that same, miniature blade to cut prefect cubes that he lifted with what appears to be telekinesis.

Lucy was in awe at how Natsu used telekinesis to put the new pavement blocks in place and lifted some plaster to fill in the gaps. To finish the job, Natsu merely slammed his open hand into the spot where the harbor used to intersect at the pavement. Out of the pavement but no causing any damage were trees and wood emerging and forming a prefect replica of the old Hargeon Harbor.

"Like I said. It is within my powers and it is the least I can do." Natsu said to the crowds who in awe and cheering him on while the army officials gestured a satisfied nod into his direction. "Now let's go and get you into Fairy Tail."

Lucy smiled a lot like a kid whose birthday present came early. "Okay!"

XXXXX

Magnolia, the Magical Council Meeting Room,

"I am glad that while a mage did destroy the harbor at Hargeon Town, it wasn't from Fairy Tail and Natsu Dragneel did fix the damage. Now that is a Fairy Tail mage I can tolerate." One of the Council members said while there were muttering of agreement. "And cut that out Ultear!"

Now, seeing a ball move on its own isn't anything exciting in the world of magic; where such abilities like telekinesis is normal. But when that orb had a crack in it, something is up. The orb getting fixed in seconds and then lifting off the table was something shocking for sure. But the magical council are experts in anything related to magic and yet they have seen this happening so many times that they are tired of it.

"But I am bored~!" Ultear is a pale-skinned woman with dark purple hair and brown eyes. Ultear has a rather voluptuous figure, and she wears a long revealing dress, sporting a striped pattern. On her arms, Ultear wears long black sleeves, with the section from her elbow down bearing chunky, gray wrist-guards, from which she can produce her characteristic Lacrima orbs that she was 'playing' with. "I just wish that those Fairy Tail mage will blow up something good."

"Don't talk like that! Besides Natsu, all of them are idiots and if they weren't the strongest of our country then we will drive them off as menaces!" Another member of the council that was as old as most while Ultear and another were more like in their twenties.

"So? You all old farts say that all the time and Fairy Tail is still a legal guild."

"Why you, Siegrain!" Siegrain is a young man whose most prominent features are his blue hair and a red tattoo above and under his right eye. He is dressed himself in elegant yet simple robes; consisting of a long white frock-coat with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated standing collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right middle finger.

"Relax, senile old crone." Siegrain said bluntly which infuriated that council member even more. "I am glad that Fairy Tail is around because…" As he spoke, Natsu and Happy with Lucy along were at a giant guild hall. "Without those peculiar idiots, the world will be boring.

Meanwhile, Lucy has shown to have a suitcase in hand and looking up at the large words that spoke of whose guild hall this is. "I can't believe it! I am actually here!"

"Aye!" Happy spoke at last, "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Inside was a very busy and loud place. Plenty of people were at the tables drinking and conversing. Others were looking at some kind of board, scanning the pieces of paper for a job or something. And another thing, a barmaid was asked for a couple of drinks until one of the older mages tried to flirt with her; he got his just desserts to see his crush turn into his less attractive wife.

"Hey!" Natsu yelled out and that got everyone's attention. "I am back from that wild goose chase that ended with a mage wanting to join us. So you better clean yourselves up and make a good first impression!" Natsu demanded and it seemed to have worked. The entire guild got up and fixed themselves up to look actually presentable to Lucy who was in awe for just standing in the guild hall.

"Hey!" Lucy was knocked out of her stupor by a very warm and welcoming voice. She then saw one of the most beautiful woman standing next to her, but Lucy did know here even though this is the first time they met.

"You are Mirajane Strauss! You were the top model in Sorcery Weekly for almost every month!" Lucy said, taking out a magazine of that same brand title. Mirajane just giggled.

"That is only my part job. Mostly I spend my time tending to the bar with my younger sister Lisanna. Please come this way, we will get you signed up." Lucy just nodded like a fangirl with her words stuck in her throat from being around her idol.

"I-is there a fee for being a member? I mean that I don't have much money." Lucy said until she felt like someone dangled their arm on her shoulders. Looking to her left, she saw Natsu with his smile that made her heart race.

"No fee except for any food served her Lucy! As a member, you earn money instead of spending it all on remaining a member. That is what the jobs are there for, to help with your money and your experience!" Natsu said and Lucy just nodded, not even feeling like telling him to back off.

"So where will you like your guild mark? And in what color?" Mirajane said with a simple looking stamp and a stamp ink box. Lucy wanted it on her right hand and in pink; she got that without any troubles at all. In fact, Lucy was so excited about her new stamp that she showed it to Natsu who was either eating food on fire or spare wood.

"Wow. I guess that it is true about you being a Forest Dragon Slayer and a Fire Dragon Slayer. All you need to eat is your respective elements." Lucy said in awe mixed in with slight disgust; wondering how Natsu can find either flames or drift wood to even be edible.

"If only I can just eat the ones I make, then I will be set for life. But you can't eat your spirits right?" Seeing Lucy shook her head rapidly, "So yes. It is the same thing so I will have to eat fire and wood that isn't created by my magic."

"Okay then. So can you help me figure out a mission today?" Lucy said and Natsu had to swallow what he was chewing at the sound of that.

"Lucy, you just got here. You can't just go on a mission and know what to do. At least not on your own and no, not today." Natsu said firmly with a tone that benefited an S-class mage like him.

"But it will be boring~!" Lucy suddenly acted like a little girl which only made Natsu frown.

"I know a girl that you can get along with. Over there…" Natsu pointed to a table behind Lucy. She turned to see a blue haired and lavender haired girl sitting there, talking to each other. "That's Laki and Levy. They are close friends of mine so I know that they are around your age and they have a lot in common with you. Go ahead and introduce yourselves while I go and look upstairs for a mission."

"Okay but why upstairs? Isn't the mission board down here?" Lucy asked while Natsu left his empty plate on the counter and begun to go up the stairs. Lucy tried to go after him but stopped by the wooden railings forming hands.

"Sorry Lucy but the second floor is for S-class mages only. And these missions are S-class ranked so only an S-class mage can undergo one. They are ten times harder than the ones on the ground floor but they reward ten times better. I am sure to take you on one in the future." Natsu explained and he was just about to the second floor when both he and Lucy heard a little boy's voice.

"But dad can be in trouble! He said he will be back in three days but he left a week ago!" Lucy asked who he is and Natsu said that was Romeo, a boy not old enough to join the guild yet. It is just that his father, Marco, was a member of fairy Tail so the guild let him visit and visit only.

"I keep telling you Romeo, you should just go home and do whatever. Your father is one of us so he is fine, stop bellyaching about it!" Makarov was still the guild master and for being a grandfather figure, he sure was strict. Lucy remembered on how the old man came and said that everyone but Natsu had caused either an embarrassing development to the guild or did some destruction. Then he suddenly became defiant of the council and urged everyone to act like always. Now the old midget is stern all over again.

"Jerk!" Romeo lost his temper and hit Makarov on the face, the old man not even trying to avoid it; it only left an ugly imprint in the center of his face. "You all are nothing but jerks!" No one said a word and then, one of the other members named Nab complained about Natsu jumping from the second floor and landing hard next to the mission board; he just got a few splinters into the board.

"Where is Natsu going?" Lucy asked Mirajane, "And why is her so angry all of sudden?" Mirajane told Lucy about Natsu being raised by a dragon as his foster father, something that got him laughed at when he was young. Mirajane said that Natsu feels like Romeo is going to be a lot like him; an orphan who is laughed at for his status and misery.

"He is going to make sure that Romeo will never be an orphan like him. That is the type of person Natsu is. And always have been." Mirajane said.

End of Chapter 2.

 ***Thanks for the reviews and I do have plans for a pairing I don't see being used like Nalu or Naza. So please be patient with my chapters and I will decide just what my final decision will be on the pairings for Natsu, like a harem in the later future, but it will start off as Naki (Natsu & Laki).***

 **Natsu's Abilities and Magic so far:**

 **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Forest Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Letter Magic**

 **Equip Magic**

 **Dispel Magic**

 **Water Magic**

 **Earth Magic**

 **Basic Telekinesis**

 **Hand-to-Hand Combat Master**

 **Melee and Short Range Weapon Expert**

 **Massive Magic Reserves**

 **Accelerated Self-Regeneration**


	3. A Monkey and a Salamander

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

"Natsu!" – Speaking

'Natsu!' – Thoughts

 _Natsu!_ – Flashback

 **Natsu!** – Spells/Magic/Techniques

Wrong Tree to Hit, Right Tree to Find

A Monkey and a Salamander

 _Previously on Wrong Tree to Hit, Right Tree to Find;_

 _"Jerk!" Romeo lost his temper and hit Makarov on the face, the old man not even trying to avoid it; it only left an ugly imprint in the center of his face. "You all are nothing but jerks!" No one said a word and then, one of the other members named Nab complained about Natsu jumping from the second floor and landing hard next to the mission board; he just got a few splinters into the board._

 _"Where is Natsu going?" Lucy asked Mirajane, "And why is her so angry all of sudden?" Mirajane told Lucy about Natsu being raised by a dragon as his foster father, something that got him laughed at when he was young. Mirajane said that Natsu feels like Romeo is going to be a lot like him; an orphan who is laughed at for his status and misery._

 _"He is going to make sure that Romeo will never be an orphan like him. That is the type of person Natsu is. And always have been." Mirajane said._

"Why are you here again Lucy?" Happy asked. "Didn't Natsu just say that you shouldn't be taking missions on the same day you just join?" Happy was a real 'papa's boy'. He always stuck by Natsu, agreed with everything Natsu said, copied his expression playfully and thought that Natsu could never be wrong.

"Yeah." Lucy simply said. "But after hearing that Natsu can't stand a simple carriage ride…" Lucy drifted off to see that Natsu was trying not to throw up. "For an S-class mage, that isn't very impressive."

"I…know…" Natsu didn't even tried to argue. "We…dragon slayers…feel this…all the time…ARRGH!" Natsu had to feel a close call and swallow what could have come out of his mouth since he spoke just about an entire sentence.

"You poor baby~!" Lucy giggled and spoke in a childish tone that wasn't appropriate for her age. "If you really are such a good boy, I can have your head on my lap." Lucy then took pity on Natsu, who didn't look that amused at all.

"If it…urg…help…I will…try…any…anything…" Natsu said as he wobbled towards Lucy's side of the carriage. Once he sat down, he immediately lost feeling in his torso and fell to his left, right on Lucy's lap. "Hmm…comfy…" That was what Natsu said before he lost conscious right on the spot.

"A big baby, like I said~!" Lucy giggled and subconsciously rubbed Natsu by the hair. "At least his hair is clean and smooth. Like petting a well-groomed dog show winner." Natsu just grunted and snored rather softly as he got more comfortable on a moving vehicle than before and ever.

Then the carriage stopped. "Sorry. This is the furthest I can take you. Good luck." The carriage driver spoke in a creepy tone that was forgotten when Natsu promptly got off of Lucy's lap to stretch.

"Whatever. I finally can start walking again." Natsu then turned to Lucy, "Sorry you had to use your lap but it worked. Thanks." Before Lucy could respond, Natsu opened the carriage doors to let in an icy wind.

Looking outside, Lucy was shocked. "What the hell!? Snow!?" Where the carriage stopped was indeed a snowy land, one that had a blizzard roaring strong. "It is in the middle of summer! How!?"

"We did suggest that we did it alone Lucy. You should have asked where we are going before tagging along." Happy said politely and started to follow Natsu. Lucy grumbled and shivered, getting off the carriage since it only moved once she stepped foot into the snow.

After a shot while that felt like an eternity to Lucy, "Can I have your scarf?!" Lucy already got Natsu's blanket that did something but she was still freezing to death.

"Don't lose it." Natsu simply said and once Lucy thought she was just feel another cold shiver, she didn't. Almost like she was wearing a furnace that heated up her entire body. Lucy then looked up to the massive figure that brought her to Fairy Tail; just what can't he do with his magic?

"So Natsu…?" Lucy realized that she was caught in her thoughts and that she rushed in just to help Natsu. She didn't even ask what was the mission where Romeo's father took and disappeared in the middle of. "What was Marco doing up here?"  
"Fighting monsters." Natsu said bluntly. "This is the mountain where the scumbags known as Vulcans are to be found. They hate human but have an extremely disgusting desire for the opposite gender. And almost all Vulcans are registered as male." Lucy realized that this meant that these 'Vulcans' will probably want to capture her and do the unspeakable acts. "Just stay close to me, I will be able to know when a Vulcan is nearby."

For good measure, Lucy still stuck by Natsu. Yet they only moved on several more steps until Natsu clutched Lucy and signaled for Happy to split. They both saw why when an ape like creature landed right where they were originally standing. "ME SMELL WOMAN!" It was shouting at a terrible vibe that made Lucy feel a shiver up her spine. "HUMAN, HAND OVER WOMAN! ME DON'T LOVE MAN, ME WANT WOMAN!"

"Now Lucy, that is a Vulcan." Natsu said as Lucy only shot forward a glance from one of her eyes. Vulcans appear to be large, anthropomorphic monsters that resemble primates. They possess distinctive facial features, elongated chins, prolonged ears, and pointed heads that resemble a single horn on top of their head. Vulcans have gargantuan arms and sequentially large hands that attach to their muscular torsos. In comparison to their upper body, Vulcans evidently possess a pair of smaller-scaled legs that feature a long tail connected to the bottom of their torsos. The fur on their arms forms a decorative pattern unique to each species.

Lucy was wondering why Natsu hadn't done anything about the Vulcan; so, she came up with the conclusion that the S-class Mage wanted to see her stuff. **"I open the Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!"** Lucy swung down her key and out came was a creature that roared like an enraged bull, his name was Taurus.

Taurus is an extremely tall, heavily muscular and athletic humanoid whose physical features are highly reminiscent of a bull, as his theme implies. His body is covered in a black and white pattern similar to that of Holstein Friesian cattle, and the upper part of it, from the waist up, seems more massive than the lower one. His head is bovine in shape, with small, elongated ears jutting outwards from the sides of his head, and a pair of horns, testifying him as a bull, sitting on top of it. He has dark eyes, and his flat nose bears a large golden ring in it, similar to those worn by real bulls. His muscular chest bears six teats: two on his pectorals and four on his upper abdominal area. The tail sprouting from his back, ending in a dark tuft, is quite small, if compared to the large mass of his body.

Taurus' massive body is mostly left bare: he's shown wearing a dark indumentum, similar to a pair of swim briefs, covering his groin, held up by a red, studded belt, with a circular, thin, golden metal buckle, with a pair of curved protrusions jutting outwards from it in its upper part. He also wears simple dark boots with lighter upper edges, consisting of three lines circling his legs, and has a red belt circling his neck, to which a golden cowbell is attached. His forearms are wrapped in bandages, and he wears brown fingerless gloves. Crossing his chest diagonally and passing over his right shoulder is a large, plain dark belt closed by a simple buckle, to which Taurus attaches his signature axe when he's not using it.

"Moo! I will protect Lucy-sama…!" Taurus shouted out but then faced the owner of his key with hearts in his eyes, "…And her prefect figure!" Lucy face faulted and wished she wasn't in front of Natsu right now. She knew that Taurus is unrivaled in brute strength but he is also a shameless pervert; the embarrassment was enough to kill her. Yet, Natsu's arm embraced her slightly tighter.

"Just go and beat up that Vulcan, dinner beef." Natsu pointed to the creature getting up. And it was, unsurprisingly, unhappy to see not only Natsu but also a giant cow-like pervert in front of Lucy.

"ME DON'T LIKE MAN OR COW! ME LOVE WOMAN! GIVE ME MY WOMAN!" The Vulcan shouted and charged for the gang. Taurus heard that loud and clear, and swung his axe to send the Vulcan flying back again.

"Lucy-sama is her own woman! So back off! Moo~!" Taurus growled, somehow a lot more serious, given his poor first impression. But Lucy did notice that Taurus was trying to avoid eyesight in her direction and was sweating in a nervous fashion. On top of that, she half expected him to ruin the moment by succumbing to his perverted nature again; but Taurus as silent as a lamb once he sent the Vulcan flying.

Speaking of whom, "THIS BODY IS NO GOOD! IT IS TOO WEAK! BUT I WILL STILL KILL YOU-!" The Vulcan was spouting out nonsense until it stopped in mid-sentence, like it lost its voice. But then it looked down to see a flame sticking out of its hide!

"I had my suspicions on why I was led to you while following Marco's scent." Natsu spoke, as cold as the mountain around. "Now we can do this the easy way or the painful way. Thought either one involves you releasing him!" Vulcan looked like he was stabbed through the heart and roared when the flame spread; it sounded truly like it was suffering a great, searing pain all the way to its last breath.

But what got everyone's attention was the body left behind. It wasn't a Vulcan's, it was a human. A mage! " **Giman o Hai Ni Kaeru (Turning Deception to Ashes).** Don't tell Mira or her siblings, they won't like it." Natsu said as he released his hold on Lucy and walked over to the man lying on the frozen ground, covered in wounds and blood. The blonde jut silently returned Taurus since there was no more need for violence.

"Can you please tell me what the hell just happened?!" Lucy all but shouted as Natsu focused on getting a medical blanket and a few more supplies out of his pack. It was Happy, who landed on her shoulder, that answered her.

"One thing that makes Vulcan very dangerous creatures, other than their superior size and strength, is they ability to Magic known as **Teiku Ōbā (Take Over)**." Lucy was interested in the name, "It allows the users to seize control over another lifeform and use any natural aspects for themselves which includes physical and magical abilities."

"So Natsu's spell…? And Mirajane-san…?" Happy nodded grimly.

"It is a **Hi no Mahō (Fire Magic)** spell that Natsu created simply for the users of **Teiku Ōbā** that you can recognize as your enemies." Happy explained. "And the Strauss Siblings, which includes Mira-oba-san (Auntie), all three of them practice their own styles of **Teiku Ōbā**."

"Do they…?" Lucy was about to ask but Happy cut her off with a prompt shake of his head. She couldn't even ask Happy about him addressing the barmaid as his 'Aunt'.

"No, they don't use their magic like Vulcans do. Using the bodies of their prey is simply how Vulcans survive when they are about to be killed off." Lucy was creped out by how Happy can be so casually about something so grim. "The Strauss Siblings use their **Teiku Ōbā** magic for combat or any other situation that requires the abilities of various creatures. That is what they are famous for."

"If you two are done then give me a hand over here!" Natsu shouted out to Lucy and Happy. "Keep Marco down while I stop the bleeding!" Both of them hurried over; Lucy got the legs while Happy was somehow able to keep the arms down.

'How am I getting so surprised about a blue cat that flies and talks?' Lucy wonders until she heard the man screaming. And she saw Natsu pressed his hand on the open wound, setting it ablaze! "What the hell are you doing!?"

"I can't heal him if he bleeds out and I need to close up the wound!" Natsu shouted and Lucy could see that the burns were forcing the man's hide to close up and halt the bleeding. Then Natsu took out a box, blood syringes inside with labels of all types. Natsu went for the one that was labeled 'O-' and gave it to Lucy along with a roll of tape & cotton swab. "Use this to make up for the blood lost while I heal the burn!"

Lucy didn't have any doubts or hesitations and she did know where to place the syringe; the blood vessels could easily be seen so Lucy inserted some of the blood into one of them. She was quick to close up the tiny prick with the cotton swab and a piece of tape from the roll. "Is that you…Natsu?" That was when the man finally spoke from all the yelling in pain.

"Welcome back Marco. Seriously, I thought that a man like you won't act like a baby getting his hair cut." Natsu responded as he placed some kind of lotion on the massive burn, which was all sealed by some kind of aloe. "Good news, we were able to stabilize you in a hurry. You gave us all a scare, your son especially, when you didn't return accordingly."

"I…knew it was…you when…" Marco gasped for his voice. "When you did…that commander…tone…could only be…you Natsu." Lucy was curious. She saw Natsu communicate with the other guild members more like a person they hand out with; Lucy seriously though that this 'commander tone' was just because stabilizing Marco was a genuine emergency. "But you will…be disappointed Natsu. I took on…nineteen of those…monsters…but the last one…got the drop…on me and…took over my…beaten body…how pathetic…"

"Marco, shut up before I do it for you." Natsu spoke sternly at Marco. "I am not going to laugh at you Marco or call you anything but brave. That is what you are and you still have a son waiting for you, Marco. Save your energy." Marco chuckle through the pain and slowly raised his arm to statue,

"Yes, Natsu." Marco mumbled before getting back to sleep. Lucy adored the scene and wondered if she will anything like how Natsu was today. Will she ever be someone that others will look up to, like she does to her own new idol?

Hours later, the gang returned to Magnolia and found where Romeo was waiting. He was delighted to see his father return, beaten badly but alive. Romeo then broke down that he only asked of his father to take a mission because he was tired of being bullied for being the son of a mage. But Marco said that he doesn't care about any of that; instead, Romeo had a father that can take on nineteen monsters before going down. To any boy, Marco was a father any one of them will be proud to have.

"Thank you, Natsu-nee-san! Happy-nee-san! And even you Lucy-nee-chan!" Romeo showed warm gratitude for getting his father back. And Lucy, she felt like she was at the top of the world when that little boy smiled at her.

XXXXX

A couple of weeks had passed. "Wow!" A young, teenaged girl yelled from her bathtub. "This is paradise!" It seems that Lucy had finally found somewhere in Magnolia that she can spend her nights and can be near to where the guild is. "And Natsu was the one that suggested this place too! With only seventy thousand rent a month, I should do fine!"

Feeling that she was in the bathtub long enough, Lucy got out and started to change into her clothes when her door knocked. "Visitors? Oh well, at least I was done with my bath." Lucy muttered and opened it to see a big smile. "Natsu!"

"Hello Lucy. Nice to see that you are happy with your new place." Natsu remarked, standing just in front of the door way. "May Happy and I come in?" Lucy gleamed at such good manners and nodded.

"Sure!" Lucy made way and good thing because Happy zoomed in like a fly on hyper. Thankfully, the blue cat/bird didn't run into anything. "Uh…"

"Happy loves to fly as much as the next cat loves fish, but I made sure that he actually looks where he is going." Natsu assured her by gently squeezing Lucy's shoulder. "Of course, it did help to always let Happy take all the scolding for everything he destroyed in the past four years."

Lucy just giggled at the sight of an old maid, yelling at a cat for breaking her pots, without getting the net for being a nut about it. "Oh well. I am sorry that there is barely anything to do. I only expected guest for a much longer time…"

"We came here for more than hanging out Lucy." Natsu said and took a seat. "So tell us about your spirits. I will tell you about mine." This got Lucy's attention and excitement. "And I have a mission that I am sure that will give you the chance to prove yourself worthy of one of my keys."

"Hold it! I will make some tea!" Natsu smirked. Lucy didn't try for the reward before the ordeal. Instead, she chose to go for the latter and not the former. After a few minutes, Lucy came from her kitchen with a tray of tea and biscuits, to put on the table. "Now what do you want to know?"

"The names for one." Natsu said simply. Lucy then revealed her keys.

"So far, I own Aquarius the Water Bearer, Taurus the Golden Bull and Cancer the Great Crab." Natsu nodded. "Those are the only Golden Keys I have found but I have a bunch of the Silver Keys. Such as Crux the Southern Cross, Horologium the Clock and Lyra the Lyre. I just purchased the key of the Canis Minor."

"May you show this new key? I understand that the Silver Keys take a lot less magical power compared to the Golden Keys." Natsu asked, showing his interest. Lucy, on the other hand, showed her awe that Natsu truly understands her magic; he doesn't just collect the keys.

Lucy got from her seat and took a pose, with the key in hand. **"I call upon the Gate of the Canis Minor to open, Nikora!"** After speaking that incantation, she swiped the key downward. Then came 'Nikora', from a puff of smoke in the middle of the room.

The Nikora was a short, stout creature having stubby tails. It has a pair of bland black eyes and a golden horn-like nose. And it was shaking, like a newborn deerling. "That's it? Natsu's spirits looked better than that." Happy said that, off hand. He was promptly bashed on the head,

"Happy, you never liked people calling you a freak because you are a cat that can fly and can talk like a baby. So, shut up!" Natsu scolded his 'son' and the blue cat nodded with the bump on his head rather heavy on the neck.

"Thank you Natsu, and I don't mind the spirit being this way. I have gotten used to, somehow." Lucy responded with a smile and then picked up the Nikora creature, hugging it closely. "And I think it's cute! It needs a name too!"

"Isn't it Nikora?" Happy finally got his head shed of that spare tire to ask a more sensitive question. Lucy took it better,

"Nikora is the name of this cutie's species. And like what Natsu said, spirits summoned with a Silver Key requires very little magical power. So, mages like me often buy these keys for pets." Lucy explained. "And I have a name! Plue!"

"Plue? What kind of a name is…?!" Happy was silenced by Natsu's hand over his mouth. And he stared at his 'son'.

"I came up with you name because of how everyone felt when an adorable and innocent child was born in the center of a wooden hall and an entire guild. Be more sensitive, Happy." Natsu spoke with a straight face and the cat nodded, getting his lip released. And for the whole time, Lucy was asking her new Spirit on which days she is permitted to summon 'Plue'.

"Is that all there is to it? I imagined that it will harder to do this kind of stuff." Happy made yet another remark that was uncalled for but Natsu just shrugged.

"You will be surprised Happy." And then Plue hurried over to Natsu, surprising everyone else in the room. Then the strange, small creature started dance around and make noises that sounded like his nickname. "What's that?" Natsu kneeled down, as if to heard Plue better and the creature did another set of dancing and muttered out more nonsense. "You really think so, Plue?" The creature nodded and both it and Natsu ignored Lucy's and Happy's shock at the scene.

Then Natsu stood back up, with excitement shining off his confident grin. "That settles it! Plue had a good idea and I agree with him." Natsu then turned to Lucy, still completely confused. "We all should be a team!"

"A team?" Lucy ignored Happy jumping around in some kind of celebration,

"Sure. If we are a team then we can complete more missions than sole and even those slightly harder than the average." Natsu explained. "Teams even hang out together and help each other get stronger. As a team, I am sure that you will be able to catch up with everyone else in the guild. What do you think?"

"It sounds great!" Lucy answered in happiness. "Being on a team with you guys sound great and fun! Let's do it!" And both mages sighed this notion with a handshake and a clap of the hands. "Now please tell me about your keys Natsu? I would like to hear more about them!" The S-class mage sighed at Lucy's eagerness, making her look and sound more like a child all over again; and she was supposed to a more mature person, to be living on her own.

"Like I said in Hargeon Town, I have several from countless missions." Natsu said and summoned his heavy keychain with the flick of his waist. "I can start with the Golden Keys. I have Virgo the Maiden, Sagittarius the Archer, Leo the Lion, Gemini the Twins, Aries the Ram, and Scorpio the Scorpion." Lucy looked disappointed,

"Aww! You are so lucky to have such rare keys-OWW!" Lucy was interrupted when Natsu struck her forehead with his left index and middle fingers.

"I am not lucky. I had to see people get ruined, evil or otherwise, in order to free these spirits from such abuse. Understand?" Natsu scolded Lucy and showed that he was not joking, even Lucy can see it in his eyes. "Now I have a lot to list just for a visit but there is another Key I can share with. He is personally one of my favorites. Want to meet him?" Lucy perked up and nodded.

Natsu got out of his chair and done the same pose as Lucy's. "I call to my aid, the Chisel Spirit, Caelum!" Lucy was in awe at the sight of the spirit while Happy smiled all the same.

Caelum is shaped like a sphere with a halo-like circle at the top. It is made of metal and has lines tracing around its shape. The center of Caelum's body is in a darker shade of gray than the rest of its body and there is a small white circle with a smaller light green circle inside, giving it the appearance of an eye.

"Caelum is so cool!" Lucy went back into hyper mode which was beginning to annoy the Chisel Spirit. Then she realized something important, "I thought that you just collected these keys. How come you didn't tell me that you can use **Seirei Mahō (Celestial Spirit Magic)**?"

"I may know how to summon a Spirit on the level as Caelum but to become a real Celestial Spirit Mage, you will need to spend years to gain enough control to summon a Golden Key Spirit." Natsu explained. "So, I am ready to give you one of the Golden Keys I have in my possession but I didn't want such valuable Spirits like Caelum to be wasted. And he already has helped him on various missions."

"Does that mean I can never earn his Key!?" Lucy pouted like a child denied of her favorite candy that she desired. But she was silenced by Natsu's glare,

"You bought a Silver Key in a magic shop, remember?" Lucy nodded, "It is true that once you acquire a Golden Key, you must keep it since there is only one of each in existence. But Silver Keys are not limited to just one. Perhaps there is another Key to Caelum out there in Fiore. Once you find one, it is all yours." Lucy still downhearted but agree that it is only fair to not be so greedy and inconsiderate.

"But how about I lift your spirits by finally showing you the mission I had planned out. I promise that even half the reward will be enough for you and your rent." Natsu then pulled out a guild mission paper that Lucy recognized from the mission board back in the guild hall. She then turned excited all over again and practically snatched from Natsu's hand.

"Wow. In Buisson Town (1)? I heard that it was abandoned…oh the client lives nearby." Lucy mumbled as she slightly gotten fearful of the location written on the mission. Then she saw the reward for herself. "NO WAY! All those zeros, is this client loaded or what!?"

"I am not sure about that but nobody else wanted it and yet it caught my interest." Natsu responded. "I figured that you wanted a high paying mission for the first day as a team." Lucy kept reading the mission and finally saw a description on what to do.

"Kill a Savannah Salamander!? Like those that shoot out fire like dragons but as hot as lava!? I thought they went extinct!" Lucy was panicking all over again until Natsu grasp her on the shoulder.

"I am sure that it sounds hard but I promise you that as a team, you will be okay. You will even get one hell of a story to tell your friend once we are done." Natsu spoke in a warm tone that settled Lucy's nerves, a little.

XXXXX

"You really can't stand trains or carriages, can't you?" Lucy spoke up at a miserable Natsu, with a more concerned tone than teasing. And she tried her best to contain her giggling,

"Not…funny…" Natsu could only say and tried to ignore the sickening sensation. But one of the passengers on the same car had the nerve to laugh at Natsu's motion sickness and when that same scumbag tried to hit on Lucy, the S-class mage pointed his finger at the man. Out came from the tip of his finger came a spark of blue magic that struck the man and the same one soon wrenched down in the same motion sickness as Natsu's. Speaking of whom, Natsu suddenly gotten better and looked more comfortable.

"What did you do!?" Lucy was shocked that the while she despised that man for laughing at her teammate and tried to pass her off as a call girl, what Natsu did was appalling slightly.

"I use a branch of magic from when I learned healing spells, I call it **Kenkō Okaeru Mahō (Health Altering Magic)**." Natsu explained, actually happy for the spell he casted on the pig on the train, still suffering on the floor. "I use a basic spell, **Kōkan Kurushimi (Exchanged Suffering)**. I promise that it will only last until the train ride ends and he can ride trains again."

"Just as long as you don't do it for all your trips on trains and other vehicles." Lucy said sternly and Natsu nodded,

"Most of the time I tried to ignore it but I can't stand people that laugh at something like motion sickness. The spell in nonlethal and just making those arrogant and insensitive jerks feel the uncomforting until the ride is over." Lucy still didn't like the idea but agreed that this once is justified.

"Just this once, understand?" Natsu nodded. He didn't mind being reminded, it just proves that Lucy can be assertive when she wants to. Secretly, Natsu prefers woman to be able to stand on their own two feet, even in the face of certain death if the tongue slips.

And the team soon found themselves at their stop, at the actually deserted Buisson Town. They had hoped to meet the client there but Natsu said he was received a notice about some cleverly hidden papers about the details. With his trusty nose, a box was soon found buried underneath a dead tree.

According to the notes, the Savannah Salamander has been recorded to be found near volcanos where the rocks are the most heated and tampered with volcanic ashes; those minerals are supposedly a delicacy to these beasts. And apparently one of the reasons for Buisson Town were the random eruptions of a nearby volcano, with one that reached the settlement and drove off the former residents.

"Are we really going up to the volcano?" Lucy asked shyly, obviously intimidated by the sight of a night-black mountain with bright trails running down like tear streams; those could only be lava. But Lucy saw that Natsu and Happy didn't even hesitate and were well on their way down the path. "What the hell did I get myself into?" She mumbled to herself as Lucy hurried up to her teammates.

The trail up to the volcano used to be uneventful, just a giant wasteland. Everything was roasted worse than a bird over a campfire. Nothing ever grew in that environment, all of it was dead. Lucy was just glad Natsu was both able to give off heat in extreme low temperatures and absorb heat during extreme highs; so that no one will freeze to death or suffer heat stroke.

Then Natsu halted in his tracks, his nose and ears were twitching, and he started to look around. It was like something was coming and Natsu was trying to find out from where. Then his senses screamed for him to beat it. Natsu promptly grabbed Happy and Lucy and jumped a good distance off the trail, on the opposite side of a trench off the side.

It was from there that the Fairy Tail mages saw it. The Savannah Salamander. It was a monstrous lizard with rocky hide that matched those on the volcano's exterior. Its fangs were as sharp as fined swords. The head was small but full of teeth just as sharp. The tail was slender and fine, looked strong enough to slice through steel. There were large spikes along the spine, like the heads of spears; Natsu saw some kind of heat signature being given off at the base of the spikes.

"Natsu…?" Lucy peeped but swallowed her words when they all saw that the salamander was not happy that its prey had evaded its ambush. It took in a huge breath, about to release its killer breath. And it came as a surge of flames, causing Lucy to scream from behind Natsu who didn't look worried.

Without saying a word, Natsu roared and released his own fire breath. It canceled out the salamander's own and engulfed the massive beast. But Natsu was not to be fooled, and he was right not to lower his guard when the salamander decided to try again for a frontal assault through the flames.

Natsu retaliated with a mean right strike to the left cheek of the salamander, sending it down the trench. For good measure, Natsu used one of his legs to loosen some boulders to send down the trench and onto the salamander. But the beast recovered faster than the rock slide and avoid the boulders which made Natsu confused. So, **"Karyū no Hōkō (Fire Dragon's Roar)!"** Natsu let out another roar, one that was more like a tsunami of flames that raced down the face of the trench.

Yet the salamander wasn't scared of it, in fact the beast was able to run right through that destructive spell; that was evidenced by how the boulders were still scorched and the bottom of the trench looked burnt. So Natsu had to figure out this beast in order to bring it down. But then,

"I open the Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus!" Lucy swiped her Golden Celestial Key and out came the same large bull fighter who promptly swung down his axe to meet the salamander head on, figurately and literally.

But while this did send the salamander away from the mages, there wasn't even a bruise on its rocky hide. So, Taurus rushed for another strike and did land his axe on the salamander's cheek, it suddenly dodged a downward hit that would have hit its spikes or their base. This interested Natsu.

 **"Moriryu no Mokusei no Machibuse (Forest Dragon's Wooden Ambush)!"** Natsu's right arm grew to many times larger and seemingly made of wood. It also looked like bushes and shrubbery were growing along the bark. But when Natsu tried to smash this giant arm on the back of the salamander, the creature instead panicked and moved to avoid it too. 'So that's it. But how am I…?'

"Natsu!" The pink haired mage was shaken from his thoughts when he heard Happy's voice. He then looked up to see that the salamander had moved to the initial side of the trench in a flash. But instead of getting ready for another ambush or breath attack, it jumped to the direct exterior of the volcano.

Natsu somehow sensed its desire to attack, "Guys get behind me!" He shouted and the on cue, the salamander struck that side of the volcano, causing cracks to be seen. And soon, the literal dam burst out. Lucy and Happy screamed to see boulders and lava gushing out of the hole the Savannah Salamander had caused. Meanwhile, Natsu stared at the impeding danger and focused.

 **"Hogo no Bōru (Bowl of Protection)!"** Natsu shouted and channeled his magic into the very ground, causing it to rise and surround the trio while hardening in response to the avalanche of rock and lava. But the beast was not done and sent out a stream of lava-hot flames towards them. While Lucy and Happy screamed, the earth bowl could barely protect them from that, but Natsu had something else up his sleeve. **"Shōhi-ha Supairaru (Consuming Wave Spiral)!"**

From palms of both his hands, Natsu sent out a high-pressured water attack that composed of a larger core stream. There were two smaller streams that spiraled around the core stream a lot like a pair of overlapping double helixes. The very attack both met the flame breath head on and struck the Savannah Salamander on the back. This caused the beast to scream like it was tortured and fall into the lava.

But the danger of the lava and boulders was still present and Natsu to had to think of something, and fast. Then it came to him when Natsu saw a rock point far out of reach of the lava and large rocks. He reached in for his back, took out a crossbow and a strange arrow that was made of metal. He then took out some rope and tied it to the metal arrow hastily. "Hurry Natsu!" Lucy screamed when some bits of lava almost splash on her skin.

That was when Natsu sprang into action, aiming for that rock point and shot the metal arrow at it. And the metal arrow turned out to be like a graphing hook and was embedded deep in the sturdy rock point. Natsu then took out some kind of gadget that had duel pulleys attached to a handle. "Grab on!" Natsu reached out his arm for Happy and Lucy to grab. Once they did, they all were tugged hard out of the earth bowl that worked like a raft to the lava and boulders.

After landing at the rock point, the mages had to think of how to stop the dangerous flow of lava and rocks. And Natsu had the solution, " **Shinkuhōru Shutsugen (Sinkhole Emergence)!"** Like the left-over water in a bathroom sink, the lava was drained in a sudden sinkhole while the rest eventually ran out of juice and harden into more harmless rocks.

Meanwhile, the mages looked for the salamander and saw that it was left behind along with the boulders when the lava was drained. And the beast looked like it was too weak to even get up. The salamander didn't even budge once the mages had eventually arrived at its location,

"Thanks for the excitement and I wish I could end it here. But you will just cause a lot of trouble to set free. Good night." Natsu said to the salamander and raised his hand, not to slay but to knock it out. Then Natsu started to heal it, turning to see the looks from Happy and especially Lucy. "What? It has to look presentable to the client once he arrives."

They soon met with the client, a researcher on creatures and monsters that have rumored to be extinct until otherwise. But this was just a hobby of his, to distract him from any stressful days being the boss of one of the biggest businesses in Fiore. Thankfully that he was not the arrogant stereotype of boss and he paid extra when Natsu provided the unconscious body of the Savannah Salamander, which was more valuable than an otherwise corpse of one. Natsu got what he wanted, half of the promised reward; so, he gladly gave the extra to Lucy for her rent and other needs. Lucy was even given information about the Silver Keys, a list of shops that have been reported to sell those Key at high prices; Lucy was still grateful and planned to visit every single one, seeing which one catches her eye and maybe one day, she will find a copy of Natsu's Silver Key of the Christel Spirit.

"Wait one more moment, Lucy." The blonde turned to Natsu, with one of his Golden Keys sticking out of his hand. He had a smirk that just threatened to tear his face off. "The Key to the Maiden Spirit, Virgo. Take it. You've earned it today." Lucy couldn't believe it; all this time, she thought that still hadn't done anything to earn a Golden Key. And it was Natsu that did all the hard labor and slayed the demon.

"B-b-but…why? I let you down, I slowed you down and I almost got you killed!" Lucy shouted but Natsu's grin wouldn't leave his face.

"And yet you never ran. You never hid. You stuck by me like glue. You said it yourself that the mission wouldn't be fun unless we all do it." Natsu explained and Lucy burned up a blush. "That is loyalty at its finest. Some call it selfish, some call it cowardly and other call it foolish. But I call it a sign, that the prefect partner is right in front of me. The one to be by my side for all time." Lucy just wanted to burn up with all the praise. "And Virgo is the spirit that believes in loyalty above all else. You two will go along just fine. Take it."

Lucy couldn't find the words to argue anymore and gently grasped the key, nodding the whole time. But instead of pocketing the key, Lucy tackled Natsu and embraced him. "Thank you Natsu. Thank you." Natsu could only smile and hug Lucy back.

"It's no problem Lucy. Not at all." And, as their witness, Happy just sat on a stump and watched the whole thing; as well as thinking about getting a new 'mommy'.

XXXXX

And, while all this happened,

A figure, shrouded in shadow, was walking through the town of Magnolia, carrying something massive and heavy. The townspeople moved aside, children screamed in fear and yet the figure didn't notice. It just kept going, making footsteps like those of a giant's towards a certain building in the town. It was approaching Fairy Tail!

End of Chapter 3.

 ***I finally got this done! I really did work hard! Of course, after seeing Star Trek Beyond, I am just another Sci-fic nerd on a roll.**

 **But that was all ages ago. I wanted to get back to this story. That was why I decided to add in something of my own for this chapter. The mission after Natsu's visit is not canon so don't bother looking it up. I take full ownership of that mission story while the rest of the material goes to Hiro Mashima. Thank you! ***

 **Buisson is half of the French name for Thorn Bush. I read that in the canon, most of Fiore's settlement names come from French names for flowers, including the name of the continent. So, I tried to come up with my own to reflect on the danger for this fanon mission; I wanted something to fill in the gap between the Marco Mission and the Lullaby mission without cutting the chapter short or creating a plot hole.**

 **Natsu's Abilities and Magic so far:**

 **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Forest Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Letter Magic**

 **Equip Magic**

 **Dispel Magic**

 **Water Magic**

 **Earth Magic**

 **Basic Telekinesis**

 **Basic Healing Magic**

 **Innovated Health Altering Magic**

 **Hand-to-Hand Combat Master**

 **Melee and Short Range Weapon Expert**

 **Massive Magic Reserves**

 **Accelerated Self-Regeneration**


	4. Seek the Flute of a Deadly Lullaby!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail.**

"Natsu!" – Speaking

'Natsu!' – Thoughts

 _Natsu!_ – Flashback

 **Natsu!** – Spells/Magic/Techniques

Forest Fire

Seek the Flute of a Deadly Lullaby!

 _Previously on Forest Fire;_

" _Wait one more moment, Lucy." The blonde turned to Natsu, with one of his Golden Keys sticking out of his hand. He had a smirk that just threatened to tear his face off. "The Key to the Maiden Spirit, Virgo. Take it. You've earned it today." Lucy couldn't believe it; all this time, she thought that still hadn't done anything to earn a Golden Key. And it was Natsu that did all the hard labor and slayed the demon._

 _"B-b-but…why? I let you down, I slowed you down and I almost got you killed!" Lucy shouted but Natsu's grin wouldn't leave his face._

 _"And yet you never ran. You never hid. You stuck by me like glue. You said it yourself that the mission wouldn't be fun unless we all do it." Natsu explained and Lucy burned up a blush. "That is loyalty at its finest. Some call it selfish, some call it cowardly and other call it foolish. But I call it a sign, that the prefect partner is right in front of me. The one to be by my side for all time." Lucy just wanted to burn up with all the praise. "And Virgo is the spirit that believes in loyalty above all else. You two will go along just fine. Take it."_

 _Lucy couldn't find the words to argue anymore and gently grasped the key, nodding the whole time. But instead of pocketing the key, Lucy tackled Natsu and embraced him. "Thank you Natsu. Thank you." Natsu could only smile and hug Lucy back._

 _"It's no problem Lucy. Not at all." And, as their witness, Happy just sat on a stump and watched the whole thing; as well as thinking about getting a new 'mommy'._

 _XXXXX_

 _And, while all this happened,_

 _A figure, shrouded in shadow, was walking through the town of Magnolia, carrying something massive and heavy. The townspeople moved aside, children screamed in fear and yet the figure didn't notice. It just kept going, making footsteps like those of a giant towards a certain building in the town. It was approaching Fairy Tail!_

"Okay Lucy…" Mirajane spoke while crossing her arms and watching a certain pair of mages enjoy their meal on the other side of the bar. "What happened on that mission that got you two together?" And this was because Lucy was getting a little…close to Natsu's arm, while staring at her new key.

That question, however, did get the two mages' attention. While Lucy started to burn up, Natsu cleared things up. "I know what you are thinking Mira. And no, Lucy was just happy and excited about being part of a team, and getting a new key." The barmaid nodded but didn't change her expression. "We will decide if we want a go, so please cut her some slack."

Mirajane said nothing, just stare at Lucy with the looks of slight envy and yet admiration; as if to say 'get comfy girl, while you can'. Thankfully, that didn't last long when one of the members barged through the doors in a panic. "GUYS! Clean up and straight up fast!" Everyone was wondering what the man was talking about until he caught his breath, "Erza is back from her mission!"

Then the guild erupted with cries of disbelief and panic soon followed. Lucy watched in confusion and awe as everyone hurried to get their clothes neat, the tables back up and cleaning up their messes. She turned to her teammate, "Natsu? Why is…?" Lucy lost her voice when Natsu shifted his piercing eyes towards her direction.

"Lucy, have you heard of the Titania? Or the Fairy Queen?" Natsu simply asked and Lucy immediately gasped.

"Yes, I have! Most of Fiore fears that powerful mage, for her overwhelming strength as if she was a demon!" Lucy shouted out loud and Natsu sighed in disapproval, almost scaring the former a bit.

"I thought that I tracked down those rumor spreaders and silenced them for good." Natsu mumbled which got Lucy to awkwardly stare until Mirajane grasped one of the shoulders with a comforting grip. Then it hit the blondie,

"Natsu, is the Titania…a mage here?" That seemed to pick up Natsu's spirits, because he soon got his smile back.

"Yes, Erza Scarlet is one of us. Practically our strongest female member." Natsu responded with glee and respect that made Lucy look in awe. "And she is one of our S-class mages, so I often spar with her in our free time."

"Is she as strong as you?" Lucy had to ask and Natsu had a look of nostalgia.

"When we were children, I was always beaten up, and I couldn't figure out why." Natsu answered, memories swirling in his mind. "But nowadays, we always come to a draw when we spar. So yes, Erza is around my level and a very good sparring partner." Natsu then turned to Lucy who had the face of a gaping fish, so he playfully closed her mouth. "I think you will like Erza, she has a heart as strong as her magic."

Before any of them could say another word, the sounds of heavy footsteps had gotten loud and clear. "ERZA IS HERE!" That same mage shouted and soon, the other mages straighten up their posture, similar to soldiers saluting their commanding officer.

That was when Erza made her entrance, holding what seemed to be a large horn of some kind of giant beast. It was decorated, however, with various ornaments, like on a Christmas tree. And it made a large thud when Erza simply placed it down, and Lucy got a good look at her.

Erza is a young woman with long, scarlet hair and brown eyes. She has a slender, voluptuous figure. Her attire consists of a custom-made armor by Heart Kreuz smiths, a blue skirt, black boots, and diamond shaped silver earrings. Her Fairy Tail stamp is blue and is located on the middle of her left upper arm.

After a moment of silence, a guild member had to speak up. "…Hi Erza. I hope your mission went well…" Erza gave him a glare, as if she was offended. The mage was silenced and then pointed to the large ornamented horn. "…and what is this thing?"

"A gift." Erza finally spoke. "After slaying the monster that terrorized a local village, I took one of its many horns and the townspeople had it decorated as thanks." Everyone in the guild could only imagine what kind of monster had a horn like this. "Is it in the way?"

"NO! Not at all!" That same man protested and Erza gave out a sigh.

"Good. Because I heard, while on my mission, that…" Erza cut off to get the atmosphere dense with suspense. "…You all are causing trouble again!" That sent everyone off their seats and they cringed to her tone. "And while the Master doesn't mind it, I do! I can't stand for your nonsense and your stupid habits!"

Then Erza listed off. "Gray, stop with the stripping! Loke, quit bringing girls to our guild! Vijeeter, take your dancing outside! Wakaba, stop with the ashes on our tables! Nab, take a job already! And Marco…!" Everyone settled their eyes on the said man, wondering what Erza has planned. They didn't expect another sigh,

"TELL ME ALREADY!" But Erza didn't answer and soon, she spotted both Natsu and Lucy, who had been watching the little scene the whole time.

"Hello Erza, still the same." That was all Natsu said before Erza marched over to the bar. Yet she just sat down on the seat next to Natsu's,

"One slice of Strawberry Cheesecake, as usual." Lucy was wondering how could she relate to Erza, like her new teammate said. Erza already proven to be a lot like a drill sergeant and now she is giving her team the cold shoulder. "And who is this, Natsu?" Now Lucy felt like the whole world was glaring at her when Erza gave her undivided attention.

"She is my new teammate and our latest guild member." Natsu answered for the scared blonde. "And I got to say that you finally made a good first impression, better than the last seven and half times." That, for some reason, made Erza scream which really scared the whole guild.

"I can't believe that you actually counted them! I didn't know better okay!" Erza ranted, like a little kid after being chewed out by her father. "Just because you one of us, it doesn't mean you can embarrass me! And in front of newbies!"

Natsu just smirked, "Sorry Erza but that is not possible. You were always the one to do all the work for me." This caused Erza to groan this time and slam her head onto the counter, with the wood cracking slightly. She didn't budge, even when Natsu rubbed the back of her head. "You are still the sweet, good little girl I remember."

"Natsu?" Lucy finally spoke up, "Is she really the strongest woman in the guild?" It was inevitable and with no other alternative, that the question had to be delivered. Natsu just flashed his good mood towards Lucy,

"Don't be disappointed, I just have a history with Erza. You will soon see her in action…" Natsu then turned to Erza, with her head up once her desert finally arrived. "Once she invites us on this emergency mission that she has in mind." That caused gasps to be heard throughout the guild hall; Erza rarely ever calls for help.

"Alright Natsu, how do you keep doing that!?" Erza turned her glance away from her favorite treat to glare at Natsu. Lucy was silently awed, Natsu had done this before? "Seriously, how are you able to tell what I have in mind!?"

"Because I heard about it too, the talk about a _death magic_ , from _Eisenwald mages_." Natsu simply said and Erza was silenced from that spot, and so was the rest of the guild. Lucy didn't recognize that name but the expressions on everyone's faces meant that the name was not good news.

XXXXX

Later,

"To make things clear, flame brain…" Gray said, clearly upset with the turn of events, that involved him waiting at a train station with Team Natsu standing nearby. "Why do I have to come along? And with you!?"

"Gray…" Natsu growled out with a tone that silenced the stripper, speaking of which, "First of all, get your clothes back on." Gray looked down and his face turned white as a ghost when he saw nothing but his trunks on. Lucy knew this and was shielding her eyes in embarrassment, using Natsu's back as cover.

But before Gray could run around like a manic, searching for his missing clothes, Natsu grabbed him by the head. "Second of all, I am sick of you holding this childish grudge. I worked hard to get where I am and I just see you laze around, not even giving effort to get out of that stupid habit." And Natsu gave Gray's head an extra squeeze for good measure. "Lastly, I am coming because Erza invited me and my team as predicted. In the meanwhile, I get to help Lucy out on being an active guild member and keep my eye on you, stripping in public!"

Natsu then slammed Gray back on the hard ground, unceremoniously, to allow the stripper to find his clothes before Erza finds them, where they go. "Natsu, is he always…" Lucy peeked and saw that the coast was clear, to ask Natsu about Gray.

"From when I first joined the guild, Gray was always like that. Even when we were just ten-year-olds." Natsu answered and Lucy nearly lost her breakfast to imagine Gray as a little kid, wearing only his underwear. "Don't worry Lucy, I will make sure you won't catch on his annoying habit. You are too good for that kind of life." Werther Natsu was trying to be nice, to flirt or to be honest, Lucy didn't care.

"Thank you Natsu." The blonde showed her appreciation when she grasped Natsu by the torso; she seriously couldn't get enough of this man, sculptured like a marble statue. Then a thought came to her, a rather naughty one by the sly smirk on her face. Lucy moved to whisper something into Natsu's ear, on her tippy toes. "Keep this up, because I don't mind being like that idiot. Only in your eyes, of course."

Natsu looked like he was fighting a nosebleed but still smiled and rubbed Lucy's head, as if she was a well-behaving dog. "Looks like I am rubbing on you Luce. And I don't mind it either." Somehow, a simple explanation turned into a flirting session and Gray had no clue when he finally came back, fully clothed.

"Hello everyone, sorry for making you all wait." Gray soon flinched to hear a familiar woman's voice and everyone saw Erza approach them, while pulling a cart of baggage! "I am just traveling light, if you don't mind." Nobody had anything to say, with a smile like Erza's.

XXXXX

On board the train, Natsu was feeling his unfortunate motion sickness. And thankfully, nobody pointed that out in a mocking fashion. Instead, Natsu seemed to have found Lucy's lap to be a good place for relief, much to her slight embarrassment.

"Finally, I get to poke at the flame brain's nose without getting burned! I love train rides!" Gray couldn't contain himself and only stopped when his wrist suddenly got a mean splinter. "Oh, come on…!"

"Gray." Erza spoke up and the stripper turned as slow as a turtle to see that the redhead had gotten a demonic look on her face. "If you don't shut up then I will do it myself. Sounds good?" Gray nodded his head, to get out of the terrifying glance.

"Uh…Erza-san?" Lucy spoke, to break the awkward tension on the train. All the while, she was rubbing her hand on Natsu's head to try and comfort him. The redhead mage suddenly got a softer and friendlier look,

"Please, just call me Erza." Lucy nodded, "Do you want to ask me of something?"

"Yeah, it is about your magic." Lucy didn't want to drag her voice, to not offend someone as fearsome as Erza proved to be. "I use Celestial Spirit Magic and I know Natsu's magic, and I am interested in yours."

"Well my magic is not much to hear, Lucy." Erza spoke honestly. "All it does is help me with my large inventory, I can never run out of space for weapons and luggage." Lucy guessed that this was all Erza wants to say until a more appropriate time will come. "Gray's magic is a lot more interesting."

"Do you think so?" Gray asked in a neutral tone and then placed his right hand as a fist, pressing into the palm of his left hand. Lucy noticed that a chilly air emerged from the space between the fingers, and Gray open his hands to show the symbol of the guild, made of pure ice!

Seeing that Lucy was amazed, Gray answered for her questions. "I use **Aisu Meiku (Ice Make)** style of magic. I can create nearly anything out of ice." That really stole Lucy's breath away, until the blonde realized something.

"Is that why you and Natsu can't get along? Fire and Ice, that never go together? That is so simple, it is cute!" Lucy giggled and Erza looked like she got it too, glancing towards Gray.

"Is it true?" Gray just huffed, as to say that he doesn't care about it. Then Natsu raised an arm, a little uneasy.

"He was the one who laughed at me when we first met." Natsu was able to speak well, but still couldn't get his arm steady. "He even tried to bully Erza when she first came to our guild." Lucy gasped from that comment and Erza got the look of a demon again, proving Natsu right about the second statement.

"While Natsu is…right…." Erza sounded both ticked off at Gray and a little reluctance to accept Natsu's statement, both are slightly understandable. "We still have a serious mission. If we fail, there will be a massacre unlike anything that came to Fiore." That settled the uneasy atmosphere and everyone focused on Erza once again.

"Lullaby…" Erza spoke in an ominous tone, "A cursed flute that was crafted with dark magic. Anyone who listens to its song, shall die." And die did the mood of the train car once Erza finished her explanation.

End of Chapter 4

 ***This month has been a big letdown for me! I hadn't made a single update before this chapter, for the entire month. I definitely let my summer class and my new video game kill any and all inspiration I had in mind. For August, I have most of that left for the summer so hopefully I can get back into the swing of things. I need a hobby to pass all those days after all.**

 **Natsu's Abilities and Magic so far:**

 **Fire Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Forest Dragon Slayer Magic**

 **Letter Magic**

 **Equip Magic**

 **Dispel Magic**

 **Water Magic**

 **Earth Magic**

 **Basic Telekinesis**

 **Basic Healing Magic**

 **Innovated Health Altering Magic**

 **Hand-to-Hand Combat Master**

 **Melee and Short-Range Weapon Expert**

 **Massive Magic Reserves**

 **Accelerated Self-Regeneration**


End file.
